Provincial government eyes sisterhood ties with LGU in Argentina

CEBU, Philippines – The provincial government is eyeing possible sisterhood ties with a province in Argentina, the eighth largest country comprising almost the entire half of South America.

This was the statement of Governor Gwendolyn Garcia to Argentinian Ambassador Joaquin Daniel Otero at the Capitol last Monday. It was Otero's first time to visit a local government unit outside Manila in his six months as ambassador to the Philippines. 

"I pointed out that as far as Province of Cebu is concerned, I found it faster and more concrete way would be to establish sisterhood ties with a province in Argentina," Garcia said.

Excited about the suggestion, Garcia said she was asked to formally write the Argentina Embassy in Manila about her proposal and Otero will reportedly be the one to identity a province that Cebu can establish sisterhood ties with.

Garcia said Otero will look for a province that would come closest what Cebu is, as well as mutual areas of cooperation.

Despite the physical distance between the Philippines and Argentina, Garcia said Otero is confident that the sisterhood agreement will materialize.

Argentina is reportedly interested in investment possibilities in the Philippines, but Garcia said she will focus on economic opportunities between Cebu and the province in Argentina.   Once a sisterhood agreement is reached, everything else will follow, the governor said, citing the agreement between Cebu Province and Guangdong Province in China.

Guangdong province sent top level delegation to Cebu who, in turn, invited officials here to the Chinese province.

"The relationship moved a step higher, we formalize through MOA (memorandum of agreement, the exchanges starts," Garcia said.

The province recently sent a cultural group to Guangdong to perform during the sister province/city festival.

The other sister provinces of Cebu include Barcelona in Spain, Gangwon of South Korea, Guam of the United States, St. Petersburg of Russia, Sichuan, Guangdong, and Guangxi Zhuang of China, and Ljubljana of Slovenia. (FREEMAN)